It is 2012. Futuristic movies of earlier
times predicted that, by now, aliens from outer space would have landed on
earth and would be living in harmony with humans. Robots and humans would fall
in love and have half flesh half titanium babies and the biggest problem we
would be facing would be the end of the world. How disappointing that human
beings are arguably as rigid and conservative as they were in the past. We are in fact a bunch of racist homophobes
with no immediate plans to change.
Biracial children often have to explain their light skin and ‘black’
hair and anyone who so much as dabbles in same sex relationships must promptly
justify their actions to avoid being dubbed as confused. We are nowhere near
ready for robot love.
I often marvel at the chasm that lies
between our ‘liberal minded’ society and the staunch conservative manner in
which we react to homosexuality and everything affiliated thereto. I went
to an all-girl high school where a cocktail of hormones, thirst for attention
and curiosity led to what was often called an “outbreak” of lesbian activity.
Outbreak…like a disease. The ‘disease’
spread through the school and caused great concern resulting in interventions
and sometimes punishment. I always assumed that this was a reaction to the age
of the parties involved; parents and teachers were concerned about the young
women and their need to label themselves. The single most hilarious aspect of
these interventions was that none of the ‘lesbians’ had actually labelled
themselves but were rather categorized by the adults. You either were or you weren’t.
Fast forward to this same group of individuals almost ten years later and nothing
has changed. You either are or you are not. There is no in between, bisexuality
is simply a transitional phase, sexuality itself is a valve; you are either on
one side or the other.
Ladies
and gentlemen I present to you the chasm. We are supposedly a society that
looks beyond the physical. Race, gender and ugly are not factors which we
consider when engaging with other human beings. In this society, it is what is
on the inside that counts…is that not what Barney the dinosaur taught us? If
so, then why is it that a woman has to explain her feelings for another woman?
Why is it that a man must be able to pin point when and where he began having
feelings for another man? And once one has engaged in this same sex
relationship, why must they be damned to committing to members of the same sex
for all eternity?
Is it even possible for a person who
appreciates and loves life and human connections to guarantee that they will
never engage in a same sex relationship because they are ‘not that way inclined’?
People obsess over the sexuality of free thinkers such as Lord Byron and Shakespeare,
because they are said to have been ‘dabblers’ however I do not find it
surprising at all. How do we justify an individual being free and audacious in
their thinking and then rigid in their emotions?
If one claims to see beyond the physical,
then they should never be cross examined about who they choose to be with and
in turn can never say ‘never’. In the
words of Chris Rock “No normal decent person is one thing.” And we are all a bunch of hypocritical
douche bags for expecting that.
